


Unexpected

by DaisyChainz



Series: Fox!Kylux Fest 2020 [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Bad First Impressions, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, First Impressions, First Meetings, Fox!Hux, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Humor, Knights of Ren - Freeform, Misunderstandings, Not Canon Compliant, Poor Dopheld Mitaka, Post the rise of Kylo Ren, Shapeshifting, insecure kylo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:49:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27677639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyChainz/pseuds/DaisyChainz
Summary: Kylo, the new Master of the KoR, takes his Knights to the Finalizer for the first time. He feels slighted by Hux and, much to his Knight's delight, decides to confront him.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Kylo Ren
Series: Fox!Kylux Fest 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021218
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29
Collections: Fox Kylux Fest





	Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> Fox/Kylux Fest 🧡🖤 🦊
> 
> Day 4: Favorite trope: hilarious blunders/willful misunderstandings

Snoke had finally summoned Kylo to the Finalizer. Kylo was aware that Snoke would not actually be there, but the Knights had spoken of the General they would be meeting with. 

"Hux treats us well." Ap'lek told Kylo. The other Knights agreed. 

"Sometimes we play dejarik with him." Added Ushar and Vicrul slapped him on the back. 

"You mean sometimes Hux whips you over the dejarik table?" 

Ushar's gray dew flaps darkened with a blush. "I have learned much from my games with General Hux. He is a worthy opponent." 

Vicrul laughed, although it was not cruel. "I doubt he says the same about you." 

Ap'lek simply nodded. "I doubt Ushar would say the same about you." 

Vicrul laughed. "No, I'm sure he would not. It's a good thing I have other things to amuse myself with." He cast a smirk in Kuruk's direction, and was met with an eye roll. 

They would have argued for an hour about what was actually considered worthy of their time, but Kylo was anxious for more information about the crusty old General he was going to have to work with. 

"But this Hux, what does he actually Do? Snoke will tell me our mission, we have no need of a middle man." 

"Sometimes we have to wait around for a few days before Snoke talks to us. It used to make Ren crazy." Ushar shot Kylo an anxious glance at the mention of their former Master, but Kylo was preoccupied. 

Cardo added, "Hux likes my Droids. Unlike most, he can have an actual intelligent conversation about them." It was the most any of them had heard him speak in weeks. 

Trudgen finally stepped in. "General Hux makes certain we are provided with food and entertainment while we wait. He says it's to keep us out of trouble. One time his Captain sparred with us for a day. But she said any more than that was baby-sitting, and it's beneath her." 

Kylo frowned. "Hux told you that?" 

"No. She did. That was the last time we saw her." 

"I don't understand." Kylo told his Knights. "What is this General's worth? He can't be a very important person if his only job is to keep an eye on us. And yet, you all seem to like him?" 

"He is very important." Insisted Ushar. "He's the commander of the whole ship. That big one, the Finalizer. It's an honor to us that he makes time to look after our needs." 

Kuruk laughed. "If he truly loves his ship then he knows he had better make time. He's seen what we've done to the Buzzard." 

Kylo still had his doubts. His control of the Knights was new, and could be conceived as tenuous. He couldn't afford to have some First Order patsy, with jumped-up ideas of their own importance, casting doubt over Kylo's abilities and dominance. 

And if he was completely honest with himself, knowing the Knights liked the General made him a little jealous. That an outsider might command more respect from them made him feel even less secure. 

Ap'lek slapped him heartily on the shoulder, as the Knights scattered to different parts of the ship to prepare for their arrival. "You'll see." He assured him. "The General will greet us when we arrive." 

*** ** 

The General did not greet them when they arrived. Instead a small, nervous looking man stepped up from the retinue as they disembarked. "I am Lieutenant Mitaka. General Hux sends his regrets, but he assures you that I am more than capable of welcoming you and escorting you to your quarters." 

Kylo brushed past him. "That won't be necessary. My Knights know the way," thereby establishing himself above this Lieutenant, as well as not simply a Knight: but their Master. Kylo knew that the First Order was a power hierarchy, and he needed to place himself at the top. 

Over the sound of the Knight's heavy boots, Kylo heard Ushar call out "hello Mitaka." 

Kylo continued to seethe throughout the day. The General still did not appear, and after a while food was delivered to their shared quarters. 

Even Kylo had to admit the food was decent; certainly better than anything they were eating on the Buzzard. Especially since Cardo was the only one who could cook, and he only did so for himself. But that still didn't improve his mood. 

"The General is hiding us away. Is he ashamed that the First Order had to resort to outsiders in order to achieve their goals? He doesn't wish us to be seen by the general population. Is Master Snoke aware of this treatment?" 

"The last time we were here he took us to the officer's lounge." Volunteered Ushar, who had been thrilled by such a seemingly high-brow experience. 

"We don't eat in the mess because the food there is trash." Kuruk said flippantly from his spot by the window. They were orbiting a particularly unstable gas giant and he was enjoying the show. 

Kylo was ready to continue arguing, but he was interrupted by the comm. He shoved his mask over his head. 

"Lord Ren." It was Mitaka again. He looked even more rattled then when they had arrived. "Lord Snoke is ready to see you." Kylo took some satisfaction in knowing that his own Master had put the fear of the force into him. 

"I'm on my way." Kylo answered before he realized he had no idea where he was going. 

"A platoon of stormtroopers will escort you sir. They are awaiting your presence as we speak." 

Kylo nodded and disconnected. At least he knew what to expect from his meetings with Snoke. 

*** ** 

"What just happened?" Kylo breathed to the empty room as soon as Snoke's image faded. It was the closest he had come to being face-to-face with his Master, and it had not gone as he had thought. 

He had been assigned to the Finalizer. As Co-commander. To none other than the infamous General Hux. Who hadn't even bothered to come to the meeting. 

Snoke had shut him down when he had tried voicing his concerns regarding the absent General. 

"General Hux has training that you lack, and he understands the workings of the First Order. You would do well to learn from him, young apprentice." 

"I don't understand. You wish me to become part of the machine? The Master of Ren . . ." 

"Will do as he is told." Snoke thundered over his objections. "You are not a part of the machine. We must rely on others, for a time, and they have their confines and structures. You are not restrained by it, but you must experience their limitations in order to understand the scope of their usefulness. General Hux has shown great presence of mind, and has been able to work within the system, as well as making it work for him. He is an asset, and you will work with him. We will speak again soon." 

And that was that. The Knights were given a mission to complete without him, and Kylo was suddenly grounded to the Finalizer. 

By the time he was returned to his quarters, his escorting platoon had to be retired for the rest of the day. 

*** ** 

"Master, please don't let this color your judgement of General Hux. I'm sure he'll be able to meet with you soon." Ushar glanced desperately around at the other Knights, but they were all too amused to step in. 

"He has done nothing but slight us! I know enough about how the First Order works to know a power play when I see it. I need to deal with this myself." 

He was too angry to notice, but that remark made a nervous tremor run through the room. Everyone, except Vicrul, stopped looking amused. 

"Master, there is something you need to know about the General." Trudgen began. "Hux isn't human . . ." 

"Damn right he not." Interrupted Kylo. "He's a manipulative bastard." 

"He's a fox." Ushar blurted out. 

"I don't care how hot he is. Your Master, and you, deserve to be treated respectfully! If we are to be co-commanders then he had best learn that now." 

"But Master . . ." 

"Enough! This is more than just about you enjoying his company. I will be remaining here without you, and he and I have some issues to work out. It's high time I met this General." 

As the door closed behind him there was a long silence. Then a loud "ow!" from Vicrul when Trudgen punched him in the arm. "You could have at least tried!" He admonished. He couldn't hide his own smile however. None of them could. Only Ushar looked concerned. 

Vicrul just laughed. He would have given his arm, well, at least a toe, or maybe just a good lock of hair, to witness that meeting. "Hux will eat him alive."

Trudgen grimaced. "Let's just hope not literally."

*** ** 

Kylo had reached the main hallway before he remembered he had no idea where he was going. He stopped a passing stormtrooper and demanded to be taken to General Hux's quarters. As soon as they reached his door, the stormtrooper ran off on wobbly legs; but Kylo was too busy focusing on burning a hole through the door with his eyes to notice. 

Hux was probably old, ugly, and soft from years of sitting back and commanding others to do his bidding. Kylo needed to make certain he understood that Kylo Ren would do nothing of the sort for him. By the time he was done with Hux, the old geezer would be running in circles at his own whims. 

He thought about simply forcing the door open, or perhaps using his lightsaber on it. But no, he would show this officer that even a Darkside user had better manners than the General. There was plenty of time for a show of force later. 

Buzzing for entry, Kylo reached out with the force. There was only one life signature in the room, but something about it seemed strange . . . 

The door slipped open and Kylo opened his mouth to give the General a piece of his mind . . . 

But his brain never got past 'Oh shit, he's young. And ginger. And hot. And he's got . . . A tail?' 

"Ah, you must be Kylo Ren, the new Master of the Knights?" The tall man with the beautiful red hair and slender features gestured into the room. "Please, come in." 

Kylo followed him wordlessly, his brain suddenly blank. Why was he here again? He was so thoroughly flummoxed in his expectations, he could hardly walk in a straight line. 

"I apologize for not meeting you personally. I realize the importance of it being your first visit, and with your, well, our new orders from Supreme Leader Snoke." 

Kylo became aware enough to recognize that Hux was no more excited about their new working relationship than he was. Sense began to creep back into his brain. 

"Please, have a seat?" Hux turned to face him, and the silence stretched between them for a long moment. Hux continued to look completely at ease. Kylo suddenly realized he had not said one single word. 

He stood, clenching his fists in agitation, trying to think of what he should say, until Hux let out a long sigh. 

"Normally," he said in his sharp accent, "I would not explain myself to anyone. But in the spirit of being newly-made Co-commanders, and with your apparent decision to take offense at my actions," he looked meaningfully at Kylo's fists, "I will. Won't you have a seat? No? Very well." Hux sat himself on the incongruous ice-blue couch and made himself comfortable. 

Kylo felt like a senseless lump, but he couldn't make any part of himself move. So instead he stood and listened, feeling his cheeks burning. 

"As I'm certain you have been informed," Kylo's eyes were caught by a flick as Hux's tail made a brief appearance from beneath Hux's leg, "I'm not entirely human. I'm a Shape-shifter, and must spend a certain amount of time in both my forms. I was not informed of your visit until after I had shifted. As it had been a while since I had been in my other form, I had to wait until the bare minimum of time to shift back." His eyes appraised Kylo coolly. "No disrespect was intended. Master Ren." 

Kylo was well aware that he was impulsive, prone to violence, and could be judgemental. But he wasn't stupid, and did have some experience with diplomacy. 

So as much as it pained him to do it, he took a deep breath, and reached for the latches of his mask. 

He did get some small satisfaction at the sharp intake of breath, and the flare of Hux's force-aura, at the sight of his own features. Other than that, Hux gave no indication that he was as surprised as Kylo had been. 

They regarded each other for a long moment. Finally, Hux raised his eyebrows. "Does it speak?" Which drew a snort from Kylo. 

"I don't want to be Co-commander with you." Kylo said, unthinking. 

Hux smiled. "Nor I you." 

Kylo still wanted to assert himself. Wanted it to be known that he was the Master. To not be doubted the way he had doubted himself over the past several months. 

But something about this man, this shape-shifter, who was almost certainly as dangerous as he was beautiful, made Kylo not want to come across as a monster. 

"I'm used to being in charge." Kylo lied, instead. 

"As am I." Hux replied indulgently, seeing through the lie. 

Kylo huffed. "Snoke did say that you could teach me the limitations of your usefulness." 

Hux rose smoothly, his tail swaying back and forth, almost hypnotizing. He stepped up, almost nose to nose with Kylo. He grinned ferally; his teeth were sharp. 

"I will teach you your own limits." He smiled and turned away. "Just so you know what to expect."

After all his subverted expectations; That, Kylo believed.


End file.
